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Working to keep animals healthy and alive

This week’s Midweek Mugging features veterinarian Dr. Ravi Rai from the Downey Animal Hospital
2018 01 24 GT -  Midweek Mugging Dr Ravi Rai – TB 01
Helping animals has been a lifelong passion for Dr. Ravi Rai owner of Downey Animal Hospital. Troy Bridgeman for GuelphToday.com

Guelph veterinarian Ravi Rai’s childhood home was always full of animals and that was largely due to his habit of bringing stray and unwanted pets home.

“Honestly, I cannot live without animals,” said Rai. “I would bring all sorts of dogs home and do all sorts of things with animals to care for them. My mother used to say I was the next Shiva. Shiva is the Hindu god of creation.”

It is something he continues to do as an adult and he recently adopted a cat from a client. The cat required surgery twice after it ate something that blocked its intestines.

“The second time the owner said, ‘I am not taking this cat home. It is going to eat something again and I can’t watch it’,” said Rai. “I took the cat home and he’s a wonderful cat. He’s crazy but I love him.”

Rai was born one of seven brothers in the northern part of India in a remote village called Singhpura in the Baramulla District of Kashmir, in the Himalayas. They belonged to a farming family that had apple orchards and farmed wheat, maize and dairy.

“We definitely had farm animals in our house, sheep, horses, goats,” said Rai. “At any given time, we had at least four or five dogs in our house.”

When it came time for college he had an option to study medicine and become a doctor for humans but chose instead to become a vet.

“It is not a highly paid job in India compared to medicine but I still chose to go to vet school because I have a special love for animals,” he said.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in veterinary science in Bengal before going on to the University of Punjab for his master’s and PhD. He remained there as a veterinary teacher for 21 years where he published 31 papers for the education journals.

“It was a teaching hospital similar to what we have here at OVC,” he said. “We got between 250 to 300 dogs a day. Some cats and, large animals, we would get at least 10 or 15 a day.”

He and his wife Honey were married in 1986 and have two adult children, a daughter who is a doctor at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and a son who is in medical school in England.

The family moved from India to Canada in 1997 and Rai had to apply to be recertified to practice here. He took a job as a security guard and worked for a while for the Linamar Corporation to pay the bills while he completed his licensing exam. He also began working on policies for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, a job he continues to do on a full-time basis.

In 1998 he became involved with the Guelph Sikh Society. He is now society president and has been active in planning and fundraising for the new Sikh Temple being built on Clair Road.

He got his Canadian veterinary license in 2002 and opened the Downy Animal Hospital in Jan 2013 where he has steadily grown his patients and services.

“We do everything from A to Z,” said Rai. “We do all treatments, all vaccinations, spay, neuter, all major surgeries. We have grooming services three days a week.”

Diagnostic services include x-ray and ultrasound and he also provides laser therapy.

“We do laser treatments for all the elderly animals,” said Rai. “Animals with arthritis and animals with problems that can’t be solved otherwise, we use laser therapy for them.”

He has plans to purchase laser surgery equipment and to expand their emergency services so they can help more animals and save more lives.

“Hopefully, we will open it 24-7 so people and their pets can come in anytime,” said Rai.

“Some emergencies are critical in relation to the time. If people can get help right away it makes a huge difference.”

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Troy Bridgeman

About the Author: Troy Bridgeman

Troy Bridgeman is a multi-media journalist that has lived and worked in the Guelph community his whole life. He has covered news and events in the city for more than two decades.
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